Logistics chain management system

ABSTRACT

A logistics chain management system for which provides a network and databases to enable exporters or importers to book transport and storage facilities for all stages of the export/import transport/storage chain. An electronic document is created which eliminates the need to re enter data and thus reduces the incidence of errors. Quality assurance is achieved by monitoring consignments of goods with data loggers. All participants sign an agreement including predetermined transport conditions for the goods and a system manager monitors compliance using the data loggers.

This invention relates to a system for managing a logistics chainparticularly supply chains involving transitions between multipletransport providers.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Supply and demand chains are a critical part in the manufacture anddelivery of goods. Where the number of possible participants in alogistics chain are large, the management and timely co-ordination ofservices can be complex. One approach has been to reduce the number ofparticipants and implement legally binding contracts to ensure thatgoods can be made and delivered in a short time frame with the minimumamount of handling and inventory storage. Another approach is to use acomputer based decision support system of the kind described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,946,662 or 5,953,707. These are primarly concerned withlinking component manufacturers.

Some products such as fresh food, wine, pharmaceuticals need to betransported under specified conditions particularly temperaturecontrolled conditions as well as avoidance of unnecessary delay. Oftenfor longer distance transport these products are transferred from landto air and or sea transport and again to land transport before theyreach their destination. Storage is often required during transitionfrom one transport provider to another. Often transport providers suchas airlines cannot guarantee that goods will depart on particularscheduled flights. For security reasons the airlines do not identify theflight onto which goods will be loaded. If goods are delayed they mayneed special storage such as refrigerated storage.

If the goods arrive in unsatisfactory condition it is very difficult toidentify where in the chain of transport and storage the goods weredelayed or inappropriately handled. Because of this insurance of goodsacross such a chain is expensive or difficult to obtain.

Data logging of containers to record temperature or other environmentalconditions during transportation has been proposed but these have provedexpensive and return of the data loggers with integrity intact isdifficult to achieve.

It is an object of this invention to provide greater certainty in themanagement of transport logistics chains.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To this end the present invention provides a logistics management systemfor use by members who include goods suppliers, transport providers,storage providers, and customers wherein the members agree to complywith predetermined transport & storage conditions for the goods whichincludes

a) a communication network accessible by members

b) data storage means accessible over the network for storing details ofa consignment of goods

c) means in said communication network for notifying appropriate membersof the entry of a consignment

d) means for members to communicate with each other over the network

e) means to collect data corresponding to the predetermined condition ofthe goods during transportation and storage

f) means to record and track data pertaining to consignments of goods asthe consignment moves along the supply chain to its eventual destinationincluding the current location of the goods and compliance with thepredetermined conditions

g) means to generate reports from the data collected.

The term logistics includes movement of goods and information in bothdirections that is in a supply chain or in a demand chain.

By making the information about a consignment available over anaccessible network and collecting data about the consignment, supplierand designated transport and storage providers an easily accessiblerecord of the consignment can be displayed and printed as required. Thisdoes away with the need for multiple copies of the forms required foreach of the service providers in the chain and by providing access torelevant government systems such as customs, and quarantine regulatoryrequirements can be satisfied. This represents a cost saving for allparticipants in the logistics chain. The information can be madeavailable automatically by notifying members of the existence of aconsignment eg: by email or allowing members to regularly interrogatethe database for consignments of interest.

The collection of data on the condition of goods during transit makes itis possible to check whether reported damage to delivered goods couldhave occurred during transit and identify the likely time and locationas well as the provider responsible for the goods at the time. This isessential to quality assurance for the logistics chain. The conditionmonitored may be any condition relevant to the quality and value of thegoods including ambient conditions such as temperature, humidity,pressure, package atmosphere, package integrity, impact and vibrationduring transport and handling.

The most common requirement for transport of perishable products ismaintenance of temperature of the consignment within a specified range.A data logger incorporating a temperature sensor will measure thetemperature at predetermined intervals so that the temperature of thegoods at any location during the transport of the goods can bedetermined. Another condition is avoidance of shock. This is importantfor fragile products or for live produce such as crabs where shock cancause damage that affects the price that the goods can command. Animpact sensor on a data logger can record the day and time that animpact above a predetermined threshold occurred.

The data logger may be active or passive. An active data logger senses apredetermined condition records the information and transmits the datato a central data base at predetermined intervals. A passive data loggersenses and records the condition but has to be read by a an appropriatereader at various times along the logistics chain. The presence of adata logger and the need for the central data base to be advised of thereceipt and dispatch of the consignment along the chain means that atany time the system can track and identify the location of theconsignment.

Preferably a logistics chain manager is appointed to ensure that all theappropriate data is collected and that all suppliers and transport andstorage providers in the supply chain have agreed to comply with thestandards and quality assurance criteria.

A benefit in having such a manager is that suppliers, providers andbuyers can have access to the collected data to resolve disputes. Theprovision of the data makes it more likely that insurance recovery canbe obtained for the consignment during transit. The costs of the systemmay be recouped by the manager collecting membership fees, messagingfees, monitoring fees.

The functions needed for the total system include:

a documentation system including waybills, consignment notes, healthcertificates, shippers letter of instruction, dangerous goodsdeclaration, etc

transaction system including payment for goods, transport and handlingservices etc

monitoring system including location of consignment and environmentconditions etc

data collection and management including data from documents,transactions, monitoring and transport schedules etc

performance reporting including benchmarking against standards set inthe agreements made by all participants.

The data storage requirements to support the documentation and datacollection and transaction systems may be in one central location butmay also be distributed and be in a variety of physical locations thatare all accessible over the same network.

In another aspect, the invention provides a system that is open to anyparty who bids to provide one of the services in the chain. To that endthere is provided a transport chain management system for use by goodssuppliers, transport providers and/or storage providers comprising

a) a communication network

b) data storage means accessible over the network for storing details ofavailable suppliers and providers

c) a bulletin board system associated with said data storage for listingtransport requirements for consignments of goods

d) means in said communication network for registering interest inproviding transport or storage service for a listed consignment

e) optionally a matching means for matching registered interests withappropriate consignments and notifying these to the goods supplier

f) means for the goods supplier to communicate with interested providersover the network

g) means to collect data corresponding to the condition of the goodsduring transportation and storage

h) means to record and track data pertaining to consignments of goods asthe consignment moves along the supply chain to its eventual destination

i) means to generate reports from the data collected

j) wherein the providers and suppliers agree to comply withpredetermined transport conditions for the goods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred form of the invention will be described based on the exportof fresh food from Australia to an overseas destination.

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are data flow diagrams of one embodiment of thelogistics chain management system of this invention

FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of the data logging system used inthis invention.

With reference to the figures the participants in the system include

Airlines and shipping companies

Ancillary Suppliers,

Cargo Community Networks [CCN] which are made up of at least some of theother participants,

Customs and Quarantine authorities,

Freight forwarders,

Fresh produce exporters,

Fresh produce importers,

Government agencies such as freight export information providers,

Packer/cool store,

Transporters including road hauliers and carriers in the importingcountry.

Possible additional participants include customs brokers, consolidators,container terminal operators, ground handlers, ramp handlers, emergencyservices, information providers, insurers, bankers, container depotoperators, stevedores and port authorities.

Each of these participants interact over a network such as the internetwith three interactive databases

1. Electronic Air/Sea/Road Tracking System [FIG. 1A]

2. A electronic document and transaction system [FIG. 1B] whichpreferably uses a single electronic document which links allparticipants in the export chain enabling creation of airway bills[AWB], product notifications to all links in the product custody chain.Government Customs and Quarantine documentation and pre-clearance ofconsignments.

3. A Monitoring System [FIG. 1C and FIG. 2] which is a broad based datalogging facility and database of cool-chain management and packaging andhandling performance.

The network is secure even though it is easily accessible. Specificdocuments and messages will be available to specified participants toensure that commercial and legal interests of all parties are protected.

The data flow lines for the document transaction system are indicated inthe system diagram and for FIG. 1A: are

1. Consignment information provided via Document and Transaction systemto all participants

2. Customs and Quarantine documents and clearances provided via Documentand Transaction system

3. Financial and insurance documents

4. Trade documents.

5. Transport documents

6. International document exchange

7. Internal data interchange

For FIG. 1B the data lines relate primarily to the consignment trackingsystem and are:

8. Tracking inquiry

9. Location related data

10. Consignment data

11. Customs quarantine clearance and data

12. Packaging and/or monitoring information

13. Information required for other service providers

14. Internal data interchange

For FIG. 1C the data lines relate to the monitoring system and are:

15. monitoring inquiry

16. temperature related data or data collected by the various sensors onthe data loggers

17. temperature and other information for insurance claims, litigationetc

18. Customs/quarantine clearance data

19. Packaging and/or monitoring information

20. Information required for other service providers

21. Internal data interchange

The means for booking services for the transit of goods from supplier toreceiver may be pre arranged or by way of a bidding system. If allparticipants must be members and producers or exporters have establishedor prearranged suppliers of transport and storage services the entry ofa new consignment into the system automatically creates a supply chainfrom producer to customer and notifies each of the producers suppliersof the consignment. This notification may be by email. Each member willbe able to access and add to the required documentation.

Alternately the means for booking may be a bidding system initiated bythe posting of a consignment notice on an electronic bulletin board.Participants who are registered for providing transport and/or storageservices on the consignment route are notified electronically [eg byemail] of the posting and may then submit bids to carry out part of theservices for the consignment. When bids are received for all servicesrequired, the exporter who posted the notice selects the requiredparticipants and notifies them.

The benefit of the system is faster bookings and notifications ofchanges as well as the replacement of a complex paper trail with anelectronic easily accessed record.

The system is managed by a through chain manager [TCM] who isresponsible for maintaining the system and maintaining a register ofparticipants. All participants sign a through chain agreement [TCA]which sets out their obligations as a participant to comply withindustry handling standards for each consignment. These industrystandards include travel time and temperature control for the goods sothat if delays occur the goods will be placed in appropriate storage [ega cool store at the airport]. The TCA may also require participants toco-operate with the TCM in installing and returning data loggersattached to consignments to enable statistical analysis of the handlingof consignments as they pass through the supply chain.

Compliance with industry standards may be monitored by the TCM who alsoprovides assistance to all participants in adopting best practice forpacking transporting and storing fresh produce.

Consignments of goods are monitored as they pass through the supplychain to provide data that can be analysed to determine aspects of thechain and goods handling which can be improved. Monitoring may becarried out by routine random inspections and/or by data logging. A widerange of data loggers are available and can be used as appropriate. Thedata loggers may measure temperature and humidity at predetermined timeintervals and store these for retrieval when the data loggers arereturned to the TCM. Alternatively radio transmitters attached to thedata loggers can transmit data back to the central data base foranalysis. A preferred data logger for temperature monitoring is the KSWmicrotech tempsense label marketed by KSW Microtec GMBH. Micro devicesof the smart card type are small enough to be concealed within theconsignment to provide representative data and to foil unauthorisedremoval. Alternatively or additionally, monitors mounted in transportcontainers can also be used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic outline of a data logging system using radiofrequency [RF] data loggers arranged to transmit temperature data for aconsignment over a mobile phone network and the internet back to thecentral data base for storage analysis and statistical or graphicaldisplay. The data collected at predetermined intervals may betransmitted at predetermined intervals back to the central data base ordown loaded and transmitted [RF] over a land line at the end of eachstage in the supply chain.

During air transit the RF transmitters are disabled to comply with airsafety standards. This can be achieved by portals at the load and unloadstations at the airports.

The data loggers can be installed at strategic positions within theconsignment pallet or container to provide an accurate measure of theconditions for all products in the consignment. Temperature, humidity,shocks, are some of the environmental conditions to be monitoreddepending on the product. The data logged in this way enables disputesabout the condition of the goods to be resolved more easily. It will bea condition of the through chain agreements [TCA] that data loggers areused and not removed during transit. With RF transmission of data it isnot necessary that the data logger be returned to the TCM or theexporter.

The data logging means that new handling methods or packaging conceptscan be trialled in a live system.

From the above description it can be seen that the present inventionprovides a system that reduces delays and the complexity of paper workinvolved with export of fresh produce and also provides qualityassurance to exporters and importers.

Variations to the arrangements described and alternatives to theservices or equipment described may be substituted for those describedto suit the preferences of the members.

What is claimed is:
 1. A logistics chain management system for use bymembers who include goods suppliers, transport providers, storageproviders, and customers wherein the members agree to comply withpredetermined logistic conditions for the goods which system includes:a) a communication network accessible by members; b) data storage meansaccessible over the network for storing details of a consignment ofgoods; c) means in said communication network for making available toappropriate members details of said consignment; d) means for members tocommunicate with each other over the network; e) means to collect datacorresponding to the predetermined condition of the goods duringtransportation and storage; f) means to record and track data pertainingto said consignment as the consignment moves along the supply chain tothe consignment eventual destination including the current location ofthe goods and compliance with the predetermined conditions; and g) meansto generate reports from the data collected.
 2. A logistics chainmanagement system as claimed in claim 1 which also includes a managerresponsible for the operation of the system and the collection of data.3. A logistics management system as claimed in claim 2 in which thecommunication network is the internet.
 4. A logistics management systemas claimed in claim 1 in which the communication network is theinternet.
 5. A logistics system as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of thepredetermined conditions is the maintenance of the temperature of thegoods within a predetermined range and the means for tracking the dataincorporates a temperature sensor and data logger that periodicallysenses the temperature of the goods and stores the data or transmits thedata to said network accessible storage means.
 6. A logistics system asclaimed in claim 1 wherein one of the preconditions relates to avoidanceof shock to the goods and the data logger incorporates a shock sensor torecord the date and time that shocks greater than a predeterminedthreshold occur and optionally transmit the data to the networkaccessible data storage.
 7. A logistics chain management system for useby goods suppliers, transport providers and/or storage providerscomprising: a) a communication network; b) data storage means accessibleover the network for storing details of available suppliers andproviders; c) a bulletin board system associated with said data storagefor listing transport requirements for consignments of goods; d) meansin said communication network for registering interest in providingtransport or storage service for a listed consignment; e) means torecord and track data pertaining to consignments of goods as theconsignment moves along the supply chain to the consignment eventualdestination; f) means to generate reports from the data collected; g)wherein the providers and suppliers agree to comply with predeterminedtransport conditions for the goods; h) means for the goods supplier tocommunicate with interested providers over the network; and i) means tocollect data corresponding to the condition of the goods duringtransportation and storage.
 8. A system as claimed in claim 7 wherein athrough chain manager is responsible for maintaining the networkaccessible data base and for ensuring that the data logging system isproperly used.